7 Skin Care Ingredients to Avoid if You Have Eczema

June 20, 2018

If you’re one of about 35 million Americans who experience eczema, you are likely all too familiar with the struggle of choosing skincare and cosmetics that won’t worsen the condition and irritate your skin. Why would anyone think to apply harsh chemicals (found in many cosmetics, body lotions, body washes, and more) to already irritated, inflamed and itchy skin?

Doesn’t make much sense, does it?

What does make sense is reaching for products with the most pure, natural and gentle ingredients. There are many active ingredients in thousands of skin care products are totally safe for normal skin, but can be very irritating to those with eczema. And if you’ve tried many products that claim to be gentle with no true luck, you might be using some of these harmful ingredients.

Avoid these ingredients that irritate eczema:

Sulfates are a chemical cleaning agent found in soaps, shampoos, toothpastes, laundry detergents and more. Sulfates can cause skin to become dry, itchy and irritated making them even worse for those who experience eczema. Essentially, they clean skin, hair and clothes so wel by stripping them of natural moisture and oils. Although sulfates are extremely common in shampoos, body washes and more, there are options that are completely sulfate-free and gentler on skin with eczema — like this sulfate-free shampoo and this sulfate-free, fragrance free body wash.

Preservatives

Preservatives are used to keep cosmetics fresh and prevent them from growing bacteria. But chemical preservatives are irritating to sensitive skin, especially for those dealing with eczema. Instead, choose products that use plant-based preservatives. Nurture My Body’s products use no parabens/chemical preservatives, and are mixed in small batches to ensure optimal freshness.

Phthalates

Phthalates are similar to parabens, a chemical preservative, and can be identified by many different names. They help fragrance in cosmetics last longer, but if you have eczema, you probably already know to avoid fragrance… which brings me to my next point.

Fragrances

If you have eczema, stay far away from products with any type of fragrance. It’s a no-brainer. Fragrance can be seriously harsh and irritate already sensitive skin. The best bet is to always choose products that are labeled “safe for sensitive skin” or “fragrance free.” Nurture My Body never uses artificial fragrance of any kind. Any scent noticed in our products come from the natural ingredients, plants and oils with which they’re made. But, we also have an entire collection of fragrance-free skincare that is sure to be gentle and kind to skin with sensitivities and particular conditions like eczema.

Oxybenzone

Oxybenzone is a very popular active ingredient used in sunscreens, and is actually one of the worst for skin, especially sensitive skin, according to the Environmental Working Group. Not only that, but oxybenzone, even in incredibly small concentrations, is damaging to coral reefs. Because this ingredient is so common in sunscreen products, and we shouldn’t go without sunscreen, the best alternative is to choose a mineral based sunscreen whose active ingredients are Titanium Dioxide and Zinc Oxide, like Nurture My Body’s Organic Mineral Sunscreen. Natural sunscreens, with minimal ingredients won’t irritate the skin like chemical-based sunscreens.

Those are just some of the more obvious active ingredients that don’t get along with eczema. And honestly, it can be hard to completely avoid these ingredients in skin care products all together. They’re extremely common. But if you have sensitive skin, in particular, eczema, then you can rest assured that you have options that avoid each and every one of those harmful ingredients, and instead use plant-based active ingredients to take care of skin.

Because we’re a brand that embodies minimalism through the products we make, we cater to skin sensitivities like eczema. We never use harsh chemicals, parabens, artificial dyes or fragrances and many of our products are even vegan and gluten free. If you’re searching for skin care that will be kind to your skin in any state it’s in, look no further — shop now.